Lee benched after 'uncharacteristic' lapse in White Sox loss

CHICAGO -- It would have been easy to miss White Sox catcher Korey Lee’s on-field mistake in the third inning of a 10-0 drubbing administered by the Tigers Saturday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But manager Pedro Grifol noticed Lee’s failure to run on his popup to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, earning him an early departure in the top of the fourth.

“I didn’t run. That’s what Pedro and I talked about. Hustle is always a thing,” said Lee after the White Sox dropped to 3-9 in their last 12 home games. “That’s not the type of player I am. I lost the ball.

“Couldn’t see where it was. Thought it was right behind me. It ended up being in fair territory. I’ve got to learn from it. You’re never going to see that again.”

Lee worked the count to 2-2 against Tigers starter Reese Olson before popping the ball in the air. He didn’t move and didn’t really look up until realizing the ball wasn’t behind him.

“I talked to him after, and he explained to me what happened, and I believe him,” Grifol said. “That's uncharacteristic of him, but it is what it is. He'll be in there tomorrow.”

The lack of hustle appeared to be an honest mistake on Lee’s part, but Grifol expounded on his original answer when asked about that aspect of the benching.

“That's not the type of baseball we want to play here,” Grifol said. “I'm not asking guys to run 4 flats down the line. I'm asking guys to give us what they've got that day. Sometimes guys are banged up, I don't think this was an intentional thing.

“After I took him out, he explained to me what happened. I believe him. We're moving forward. That's not the type of player he is. I know he's a grinder, I know he works hard, I know he plays hard, and I'm pretty certain this won't happen again.”

In fairness to Lee, this latest loss was far from a mistake-free effort across the board otherwise as the White Sox fell to 30 under .500 for the first time this season at 53-83. Oscar Colás, who was moved from right to center when Luis Robert Jr. was a pregame scratch with right quad cramps, had a rough night reading the ball in the middle of the diamond.

Second baseman Lenyn Sosa held on to a relay throw from Colás on a Zach McKinstry single to left-center in the second, allowing Akil Baddoo to score from first without a throw as he was running on the pitch. Colás, Sosa and Lee look to be part of the White Sox future, so it’s up to the White Sox to set the expectations now for the sort of play they want.

“There are steps we have to take,” Lee said. “It’s a really really good locker room and a great group of guys and I’m fortunate to be a part of it.”

Mike Clevinger (6-7) has been the most consistent White Sox starter in ‘23, coming off a one-hit effort over seven innings against the A’s. But he had an off-night Saturday, allowing eight runs on 12 hits in four innings.

Earlier in the week, Clevinger was put on waivers but not claimed. That sort of situation has no bearing on his performance.

“I'm still just ready to take the ball every fifth day,” Clevinger said. “That outside noise is not something really ... obviously I saw. I even talked to [assistant general manager] Jeremy [Haber], I talked to Pedro, talked to [pitching coach Ethan] Katz about it.

“I understood even the reasoning behind it. I'm just worried about trying to put up results and numbers on that field."

Yasmani Grandal replaced Lee Saturday, but it will be Grandal who probably will talk to Lee more about his mistake in the coming days. Grandal, who is coming to the end of his four-year, $73 million deal with the White Sox, is mentoring Lee, who was acquired from Houston at the Trade Deadline for reliever Kendall Graveman.

“It’s been a game changer,” said Lee, who is 1-for-19 since joining the White Sox. “I’ve learned every single day, talking with Pedro, talking with Yas about game calling and setups.

“We are feeling good about it. I give all the credit to him for helping me and doing this for me. You don’t see that a lot in older players. I’m very fortunate to have him work with me.”